A H E 



Pcifia, who ndvanced Efther to be qticcn, and at licr re- 

 quoil dclivt-rod tlic Jews from tlio delbiiftion plotted foi" 

 them by liaman. Arclibiiliop UlTier (Vide Annal. Vet. 

 Tfft.anM. Jul. piT. 4193), isof cpinion, that this Aliafiitriis 

 was Dariiis Hyllalpis ; and tir.vt Atofia was t)ie Vaflui, and 

 Artyftona the Ellhcr of the fciiptures. But, according to 

 Herodotiis (Hb. iii. and lib. vii.), the latter was the daugh- 

 ter of Cyni?, .and therefore could not be Ellhcr ; and the 

 former had four fons by Darius, bcfides daughters, born to 

 Iiim after he was king ; and therefore (lie could not be the 

 queen Valhti, divorced from her huftand in the third year 

 of hi.; reign (EiUicr i. ■5.), nor he the Ahafi'.erus who 

 divorced her. Befides, Atolfa retained htr influence over 

 Darius to his deatli, and obtained the fueccfiion of the 

 crown for his fon, Xei-xes ; whereas Vafliti was removed 

 from the prefence of Ahafuerus by an irrevocable decree, 

 (Elllier i. 19.) Jof. Scaliger (de Emcndatii nc, lib. 6.) 

 maintains, that Xerxes was the Ahafuerus, and Hameftris, 

 his queen, the Either of feripture. This opinion h founded 

 on the fimilitude of names, but contradicltd by the dilhmi- 

 litude of the charafters of Hanieilris and Either. Befides, 

 Herodotus (lib. ix.) fays, that Xences had a fon by Ha- 

 mellris, that was marriageable in the 7th year of his reign ; 

 and therefore llie could not be Efthcr. The Ahafuerus'' of 

 feripture, according to Dr. Prideaux, was Artaxerxes Lon- 

 gimanus. Jofephus poiitively fays, (Ant. lib. xi. ch. vi.) 

 that this was tiie perion. The Septuagint, through the 

 whole book of Efther, ufe Artaxerxes for the Hebrew 

 Ahafuerus, wherever the appellation occurs ; and the apo- 

 cryphal additions to that book evciy where call the huftarvl 

 of Efther Artaxerxes ; and he could be no other than 

 Artaxerxes Longimanus. The extraordinary favour lliewn 

 to the Jews by this king, firft in fending Ezra, and after- 

 wards Nehemiah, to relieve this people, and reftore them to 

 their ancient prolperity, affords Itrong prefumptive evidence, 

 that they had near his perfon and high in his regard fuch an 

 advocate as Efther. Prid. Conn. vol. i. p. 361, &c. 8vo. 

 Ahafuerus is alfo a name given in feripture (Ezra iv. 6.), to 

 Cambyfes, the fon of Cyrus ; and to Aftyages, king of the 

 Medcs. Dan. ix. i. 



AHAZ, fucceeded his father Jotham, as king of Ifrael, 

 at the age of 20 years, reigned till the year hek 'c Chrift, 

 726, and addicted himfelf to the pratlice of idolatiy. 

 After the cuftoms of the heathens he made his ehijdren to 

 pafs through the fire ; he fhut up the temple, and deftroyed 

 its veffels. He became tributaiy to Tiglath-pilefer, whofe 

 afTiftance he fupplicated againft the kings of Syria and Ifrael. 

 Such was his impiety, that he was not allowed burial in the 

 fepulchres of the kings of Ifrael. 2 Kings xvi. 2 Chron. 

 xxviii. 



AHAZIAH, the fon and fucceffor of Ahab, reigned 

 two years, and continued the impieties of his father. 



1 Kings xxii. 31. 



Ahaziah, was alfo the name of an idolatrous king of 

 Judah, who fucceeded Jehoram, and reigned one year. By 

 his alliance with the houfe of Ahab, and the counfel of his 

 mother Athaliah, he purfued evil pradiees ; and he was 

 flain by Jehu, in the year before Chrift, 884. 2 Kings viii. 



2 Chron. xxiii. 



A-HEAD, in Sea-language, refers to any objeft that lies 

 immediately before a ftiip, or towards that point of the com- 

 pafs to which her Rem is direaed : ufcd in oppofition to 



A-STERN. 



AHEEN, in Geography, a tribe of the Ragpouti, in 

 India. 



AHER, a town of Perfia, in the province of Aider- 

 beitian ; 30 miles north-weft of Ardevjl. 



A H L 



AHIJAH, in Scnpiure TUJlfiry, a prophet cf Shiloh ; ' 

 w]\o is fujipofed to have delivered two meffages from God 

 to Solomon, one encouraging, whilft he was building the 

 temple ( i Kings vi. 1 1.), and ai:other threatening, exprefT.vc 

 of difpleafiue, on account of his mifconducl, ( i Kings xi. 

 6). He is one of thofe who wrote the annals of this 

 prince, 3 Chron. ix. 29. He alfo predicted the lifui-pation 

 of Jeroboam, declared the calamities that would befal 

 his houfe on account of his idolatry, and I'lfo foretold the 

 death of his fon Abljah, I Kings xiv. He lived to an ad- 

 vanced age ; but the time and manner of his death are not 

 recorded. 



AHIMAAZ, fon of Zadok the high prieft, fucceeded 

 his father about A. M. 3000, under Solomon. During 

 the rebellion of Abfalom, he informed David of t!i« re- 

 folution adopted in his council ; and he and Jonafhan 

 efeaped their purfuers by being concealed at Baharim. 

 Ahimaaz was the iirll who gave intelligence to David of 

 Abfalom's death. He was fucceeded in the priefthood 

 by Azariali. 2 Sam. xv. I7.xvii. 17. i Sam., xxiii. 1 8-20. 

 I Chron. vi. 9. 



AHITHOPHEE, a native of Giloh, who, after having 

 been David's counfellor, joined in the rebellion of Ab- 

 falom, and affifted him with his advice. Hufliai, the friend 

 of David, was employed to coiniteradl the counfels of 

 Ahilhophel, and to deprive Abfalom, under a pretence of 

 fcrving him, of the advantage that was likely to refult 

 from the meafures v. hich he propofed. One of thefe mea- 

 furcs was calculated to render David irreeoncileable, and 

 was immediately adopted ; and the other to fecure, or to 

 flay him. Before the laft counfel was followed, Hufhai's 

 advice was defired ; and he recommended their affembling 

 together the whole force of Ifrael, putting Abfalom at 

 their head, and overv>hehning David by their number. 

 The treacherous counfel of Hufliai was preferred to that 

 of Ahithophel ; with which he was difgulled and haitened 

 to his houle at Giloh, where he put an end to his life. 

 He probably forefaw Abfalom's defeat, and dreaded the 

 punifhment which would be inflitled on himfelf as a traitor, 

 when David was re-fettled on the throne. A. M. 2981. 

 Ante Chrift. 1023. 2 Sam. xv.-xvii. 



AHLDEN, in Geography, a bailiwick of the princi- 

 pality of Luneburg-Zell, in Germany, lying on both fides 

 of the Aller, which in this bailiwick receives the Leine and 

 Bohme. It is one German mile and a half in length, and 

 as much broad ; and confifts of champaign, heaths, and 

 far.dy grounds ; and, to the fouth of the Aller, has good 

 marfti lands and pafturage. Its woods are chiefly oak ; 

 and great quantities of timber are conveyed in floats to 

 Bremen. I'he inhabitants cany on a conliderable trade in 

 horfes, cattle, wool, honey, and wax. 



Ahlden is alfo the name of a town iituate on the old I^einc, 

 near the Aller, from the courfe of which it derives its 

 name. Sophia-Dorothea, confort to king George I., after 

 her feparation, refided in the palace of this town, from 1694 

 to 1726. 



AHLEM, a vogtey, or diftrift of the principality of 

 Calenberg, in Gemiany, containing feven villages ; the 

 chief of which is Limmer. 



AHLEN, a fmall town of Munfter, in Weftphalia, 

 fituate on the Werfe, which is fummoned to the-land-diets, 

 contains a collegiate church, two nunneries of Auguftines, 

 and a princely and rural court. See Aalkn. 



AHLWARDT, Peter, in Biography, profeflbr of 

 logic and metaphvfics at Grlefswalde, was boi-n of mean 

 parentage, in that city, February 14, 17 jo. Having 



inad« 



